Ever After
by mobeen.ahmad93
Summary: After the happily ever after that the faithful viewers of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries got in episode 100. This short story takes us on a journey when William decides that he wants to propose! However, we all know that our favorite agoraphobic lobster has trouble expressing himself. So how will our dear newsie pop the question?
1. Chapter 1: March

"Can I trust you?" The words slipped out rather awkwardly, but he kept his posture straight.

The two girls stopped their rambling and stared at the odd man out.

One was a bit shorter than the other; she had a petite figure and hair that was almost as bright as a flame.

She sighed and casually threw an arm around him despite the height difference "Darcinator... If there's anyone who can plan a surprise and an epically epic party... it's me."

"You...You've always had a way with words. Lydia." He smiled. It took some time but he had gotten used to Lydia's language

Gigi came up and threw her arm around William's other side, "Don't worry William, This is going to be a proposal story for the history books."

Lydia broke away and stood in front of them, "Hellzzzz yeah epic dizzy-proposal ft-dubs- BOOM!" she managed to say in one breathe.

Whereas, Gigi smiled and squealed with excitement, William Darcy couldn't help but feel a bit wary.

Lizzie was out of town, in New York, to consider business propositions and to visit the bride-to-be/ sister, Jane. Lydia and William had the option to go but suddenly stayed behind to try to hatch a plan for a proposal. William confided in Gigi, because he always had the hardest time expressing himself, and Lydia, who is the only person alive to have ever successfully surprised Lizzie. William simply didn't know how to "pop- the question" which is what led the three to have a lunch down by the marina in San Francisco.

William pitched his one and only idea for the proposal when they were seated at their table. His idea was to propose at Jane and Bing's rehearsal dinner in a few months. The family would be present, and the location would've been romantic. The dinner was being hosted at an old cottage overlooking Los Angeles and it had a spectacular garden. He'd figure he'd grab Lizzie for a walk to one of its fountains and ask her there. As he told the ladies of this idea, William watched Lydia's reaction but, he wasn't able to read her expression.

"Darc-"

"Lydia, given everything that's happening, you can call me William, if you please."

Lydia smiled sweetly, "Well… William… I do think that's a fantastic idea and in the end you can propose to her however you want but… I don't know about this."

Gigi stared at Lydia and William, slightly nervous at what exactly Lydia just meant.

"Oh!" Lydia understood the stares and explained, "No! I still want you to propose to her but maybe not that way."

"Phew!" Gigi leaned back. William himself eased and sighed in relief.

"Listen, it's a great idea but, it's not really _her_ moment, and besides Lizzie's going to already be super stressed because she's being the maid of honor. Not exactly a great moment to try to bring up another wedding when she's preparing for another."

"That actually makes sense." William said. "Well alright, thank you for giving me… perspective. But do either of you have any other ideas?"

"Well," Gigi began, "I mean try to pay tribute to one of your greatest moments or something, like reenacting a date or how you first met or something. Or maybe a scene from her favorite mov-"

"Oh my GOD, Gigi! That's it!" Lydia interrupted with a shot of excitement and slammed her hands onto the table.

"What? What did I say?" Gigi eagerly replied, she had complete composure whereas; William was completely caught off guard by the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Okayokay… O-Kay!" Lydia took a deep breath and began, "I think I may have the perfect idea… no… wait it definitely is the most perfect awesome idea! William Darcy, how do you feel about fanfiction?"

If he wasn't caught off guard before, he was now. Lydia pitched her idea and within one lunch all three worked out a plan… All that was left was to execute it.


	2. Chapter 2: July

Lizzie didn't think it was possible but she actually was able to have a moment alone. She promised herself that she'd only be detached from everyone else for a few short minutes. Lizzie was searching for a peace that she'd hadn't had a taste of for awhile. Even though there were two maids of honor, the workload was still heavy. She watched as the guests downstairs mingled, she knew if anything came up Charlotte and Lydia would handle it for the short time Lizzie was up on the terrace catching a break.

She leaned her back on a pillar and glossed over something her mother had said. Lizzie usually knew that her mother was paranoid and just over excited about everything but for once, her mother had her wondering if she had a point.

Her mother had made a joke about the state of her and William's relationship, they'd been together for a while now and there weren't that many mentions of marriage. Usually Lizzie's mother joked about people being together but, this time she joked about two people not being together.

Charlotte was present when the comment was made and knew that Lizzie was distracted for the rest of the evening with the slightly harsh jab at her heart. Doubt was a boulder that led things to crumble.

However, something was surfacing within her.

_No… you know him. You know he takes his time and that's okay. There is a future with him. Come on, Lizzie… Get your shit together. _

They did have talks about their future in the early days of their relationship and Lizzie couldn't help but admit that with Jane and Bing's wedding in the air, she hoped that it could have given Darcy a hint.

_Okay, okay. Ask yourself. Does he love you? _

Even though everything and everyone seemed smaller from her view on the terrace she spotted William having a conversation with Fitz. Lizzie eyes scanned him and her heart felt fuller and fuller the more she stared. Suddenly, he was staring right back at her. There was a conversation that didn't need words at that moment.

_Yes, he does. Always has, always will. He's mine and I am his. Whenever our time will come, it'll be for the best. _

Timing was always a funny thing in their relationship. It always was and with that fact in mind, Lizzie was calm and at a peace. She didn't know much about the future but with one look at William Darcy, she knew enough.

The tension in her back was gone, and William redirected his attention back to the conversation he was having.

She didn't have to be alone anymore, so with that, Elizabeth Bennett walked back downstairs and joined the party, even sharing a dance or two with her favorite newsie.


	3. Chapter 3: Early August

She took his arm and together they walked down the cobblestone path. Usually these walks were accompanied by a mutual sadness between the two. However today wasn't like those days. It was a day of warmth and happiness.

"I'm so excited, William." She managed to say quietly.

"I'm… a bit nervous" He chuckled.

"She'll say yes. I know it."

The Darcy siblings were visiting their parents today. Their parents resting spot was by the pond and under a willow tree, a spot which a younger William tearfully picked out many years ago. Whenever the siblings would visit, a younger Gigi would try to joke saying that William should go for a swim in the pond.

When they arrived to the stones, there were ducks in the pond and the willow was softly whistling. There was no pain today. Not on this summer day.

Gigi rested two roses on the gravestone of William S. Darcy and her brother did the same on the stone of Anne F. Darcy. It was a routine for the kids; they would lay the roses down, kiss their hand and touch the top of the stone. The roses were tied together by their stems with a black ribbon. Many, many years ago, William S. Darcy asked Anne Fitzwilliam if she'd like to go to the theater to see The Phantom of The Opera, down the line whenever Anne was ill or tired, William S. Darcy cheered his wife up by giving her a rose with a black ribbon tied to it. It was the Phantom's signature and Anne's day would be made with this simple gesture.

The kids held each other's hands and Gigi rested her head on William's arm.

"She'll say yes. I know it" She repeated.

"Thank you, Gigi. For all the support you've given me." He replied in almost a whisper.

"And thanks for being the best big brother a girl could ask for."

William kissed the top of his little sister's head, and Gigi reached for something in her pocket.

"By the way…" She sniffed, "I know you said you didn't have a ring yet so, I thought…" Gigi handed William a black box.

Confused, William slowly took the box from his sister and opened it.

"It's her ring…. Our mother's… Georgiana how did you get this?"

Gigi didn't have to answer. William knew the second he finished asking her. They were young, so young, when their parents died. William remembered giving Gigi the ring, he thought that it was the least he could do since she was going to grow up without a mother and father.

William carefully asked, "Are you sure-"

"Yes, William. It'll fit Lizzie perfectly. Mom and Dad are so proud, I know it."

"Bu-"

"I know it, William. Just trust me."

He remembered the day his parents died. William told his baby sister that "Everything will be fine… Just trust me." And she did, Gigi always trusted him and always supported him. Now it was his turn to trust her.


	4. Chapter 4: Late August (Part1)

There are some Friday's where one would usually like to go out and have a romantic dinner, there are other Friday's where one would like to just forget that there are laws and go to a bar with some friends, maybe even go clubbing… However this particular Friday night all Lizzie Bennet wanted was to kick off her heels, order Chinese, and surf the web mindlessly.

It was safe to say that say that she was exhausted. Lizzie could tell that even William was tired, he sat in the arm chair beside the sofa with a book in his hands but his head was slightly nodding off and his lids were heavy. She refocused her attention to her screen, Lydia had given her a headache about how she had to read fanfiction of her own videos and life.

_"Ugh but Lydia, I don't have to read fanfiction about-"_

_"Pleeeaaaseeee Lizzie, they're all super funny! Come on! I know you miss vlogging!"_

Lizzie did miss it, she often wondered about turning the camera back on and tell people about every twist and turn that had happened since she'd been gone but, she knew. She knew that when she turned it off, it was for the right reasons. To thrive and to put her attention in appropriate places.

Lizzie's thoughts were interrupted by William snapping the book shut.

"Chinese should be here soon… I think I should get the wine." He said standing up. Lizzie was 90% sure that William was just trying hard to stay awake but then the apartment buzzer went off. William walked over to the door and buzzed the delivery man in before turning back to head into the kitchen.

"William… you have always had impeccable timing." Lizzie said, she was surprised and pondered whether or not William had some sort of telekinetic ability. She got up and cleared the coffee table and followed William into the kitchen to get plates.

William set down the glass and bottle of wine on the coffee table, even to Lizzie's delight, lighted a few candles just in time to get to the door and pay the delivery man.

They both sat together on the sofa unpacking their guilty pleasure.

"You know…" William smiled gleefully, "We had Chinese on our first date."

Lizzie paused so she could think, "Wait… No we didn't. You took me out to that Italian place."

"No, we had Chinese."

Lizzie took a minute, "Wait… you think our first date was the night we kissed?"

"Yes. I mean it was the moment we became a couple and then we ate."

Lizzie flushed, "The night of my birthday… and Charlotte's."

William swallowed the spoonful of rice with wine, "Yes…why?"

He saw Lizzie's expression, she pressed her lips and looked in the opposite direction.

"I felt bad for Charlotte…That's all." Lizzie admitted. William looked at her with confusion.

"Why? Because I ate her honey walnut shrimp?"

Lizzie burst into laughter and threw her head back. "No! Because while we were…. You know…"

William pulled her close and completed her sentence, "While we were kissing."

"She was fighting off my mother." Lizzie finished. They both chuckled and Lizzie for some reason was still blushing. The way William pulled her towards him made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. He always treated her with the greatest respect and she did the same. She stared at him, enjoying every minute of him being romantic.

After a pause, William continued, "That was the greatest moment in my life."

She was about to say mine too but then her mind caught onto multiple things, "Wait… wait." Lizzie's mind was spinning and she was pretty sure every moment of tonight had happened before.

She nearly fell off the sofa as she lunged for her laptop that sat on the floor, she opened the window and read out the words that Lydia had sent to her via Microsoft Word:

"Lizzie was sprawled on the sofa and Darcy was in the armchair besides her." Lizzie's voice began to shake, "They were waiting for Chinese. Lizzie was pretty sure Darcy was falling asleep… _and what_… and Darcy was pretty sure that Lizzie had no idea what was happening…. William, what is…?" Lizzie was scrolling through the document and went straight to the last page.

Lizzie read aloud, "After a pause, William said, 'That was the greatest moment in my life' to which Lizzie asked, 'What do you mean 'was?'"

Lizzie was standing on her knees on the sofa, she looked up from the laptop screen to see William who pushed the coffee table away, who was down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black box, he opened it slowly as he said, "Elizabeth Bennet, you once said that because of my arrogance and pride, I would be last man you could ever fall in love with…"

At this point Lizzie, was a complete mess. She was crying, smiling, and panicking.

"And something happened, but, we gave each other a chance… to get to know one another and Elizabeth Bennet, I know I can be infuriating and a complete idiot but, getting to know you and falling in love with you has been one of the most humbling experiences in my life. You-…. You're my light. You've shown me new perspectives and falling in love with you has been…"

"Illuminating?" Lizzie said automatically. She put her hands over her mouth. "Sorry!"

William laughed and looked up at her adoringly, "Elizabeth, I must tell you I've been the most unmitigated and comprehensive ass… Sorry."

Lizzie was laughing with him through her tears of sheer joy.

"Will you marry me?"

At this point, they were both laughing and crying. Terrified but so excited. Lizzie, was simply sitting straight up on sofa now lifted William's chin and kissed him with all the love she could give. She could tell William didn't know what to do with his hands, not wanting to have him drop the box, she broke the kiss with a smile.

"Yes. A thousand times, _yes_."


	5. Chapter 5: Late August (Part2)

Lizzie paced the floor in the living room as she was lightly biting a fingernail. William was standing in the doorway to her bedroom with his shirt completely unbuttoned. He stared at his fiancee adoringly and cautiously asked, "What's troubling you?"

She was too anxious to enunciate an actual word so she just managed to say, "Mmph!"

"Lizzie..." He walked into the the living area and lightly took hold of her wrists, pulling a hand away from her face.

"What's troubling you?"

"I just... I don't know who to tell first."

"Ah!"

"Yeah. Do I tell my mom and dad? Lydia? Charlotte or Jane?"

"Well you're going to tell all of them, I hope."

"Yeah but who do I call first?"

"I think you should call your mother and father, don't you?"

Lizzie turned away from William to face the window. "I don't think I'm ready for so much enthusiasm at this time of night..."

"Lizzie, you should tell her first. You know her and your father's happiness is a great blessing. Accept it."

"Oh..." Lizzie turning back to William realizing her error.

"I'm sorry Will... I wasn't trying to be insensitive." She looked up at William only to see him continuing to smile warmly. Out of blue, William picked her up and carried her to the couch. They nestled together and Lizzie rested her head on him. He took her left hand and raised it so they could examine the ring. "This ring was my belonged to my mother."

"No pressure." Lizzie said humorously.

William chuckled and reached for Lizzie's cell phone which was on the side table. He handed it to her. "My parents gave us their blessings. Now let your parents give theirs." Lizzie took the phone from William and dialed her mother. William rubbed her back as he felt her stiffen.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey mom... It's Lizzie."

_ "Elizabeth!"_ Her mother's voice rung out loudly. _"How are you getting along on this Friday night?"_

"I'm doing good, how are you, dad, and Lydia?"

"_Oh we're all just fine. Lydia is out with Mary and you're father and I just got back from a lovely dinner."_

"Mom..." Lizzie was smiling and beginning to tear up.

_"Oh and you wouldn't believe how wonderful the salmon was..."_

"Mom."

"Yes, dear?"

"He proposed. I said yes." What Mrs. Bennet said next was something that threw Lizzie completely off.

"_Well it's about time. Now you run along and have a good night with that man of yours... We'll start planning in the morning. Goodnight!"_

"Wai- what?!" Lizzie squealed but it was too late Mrs. Bennet ended the call. "What the hell was that about?!" William was just as wide- eyed and shrugged as Lizzie looked to him. Throughout the night Lizzie texted and tried calling her parents, Lydia, Jane, and Charlotte. However, she'd only get vague texts back. "What is with everyone tonight?!" She wondered aloud.

"Well it's quite late now..."

"No but I texted Jane saying that you proposed and all she said was 'Nice!' that's not even something Jane does."

"Lizzie..."

"And I barely got anything back from Charlotte-"

"Lizzie.." William pressed his index finger to her lips. "I'm going to take you to bed... right now. This can wait till morning."

Sure enough in the next day. Lizzie was fired up again about the mystery of silence, it distracted her from asking William too many questions about why she was dressing up for lunch. It wasn't until the driver dropped them off when she finally started to ask questions about their plans.

"Wait..." She looked up at the building but was blinded by the sun. "Where are we?"

"Lunch." William said cheerfully.

"Is this a celebratory thing?"

"I suppose and also, you're off from work and I'm off from work... It's lunch time... so let's get lunch."

"Oh, bu-"

"Lizzie, I'm starving." William pleaded.

"Okay, okay." she beamed. "Let's have lunch."

They were dinning at Top of The Mark and there was a surprise for Lizzie when they got to their floor.

The elevator doors opened and Lizzie gasped aloud as a large number of people yelled, "Surprise!"

It took Lizzie a moment to understand that it was her family. Her parents, Lydia, Charlotte and her family, Mary and her parents, and Jane and Bing and others.

"You!" Lizzie pointed at William, who guided her out to the floor. The tables were set and the view of the city was breathtaking and she got to share this moment with the love of her life and her family.

Little did she know that every moment from the proposal and today was all thanks to Lydia, Gigi, and William conspiring together. The entire family played along including Jane and Bing who flew across the country just to celebrate.

Gigi came with a plus one, Sydney. Lizzie exchanged a look with her and Gigi signaled making sure that they'll tell stories later.

As Lizzie was embraced by her parents, Gigi walked up to her big brother. "I told you, so."

"Gigi D, I think we all told him." Fitz exclaimed as Gigi laughed. He continued, "Surprisingly you didn't take her to the theater." He playfully punched his best friend in the arm.

Lizzie and William eventually approached Mrs. DeBourgh and Caroline Lee and her fiancee, "Elizabeth! So happy to see you both together- oh!" Mrs. DeBourgh eyed the ring, "My sister's ring suits you well..." She quietly added, "I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

They enjoyed their lunch, shared their stories and even danced a bit. Lizzie danced with her sisters, including Charlotte. There came a moment when Jane, Lydia, Charlotte and her mother were looking out the window, thinking about how far they've come. Lizzie and her mother shared a long hug and as she hugged her father, she eyed William staring at her. They shared a dance together.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself." He said rather quietly.

She didn't need to respond, their eyes were locked together. He pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

No more words needed to be exchanged, the couple shared a kiss and enjoyed their ever after.


End file.
